How to Make & Dehydrate Chili | Backpacking Chef's Best Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How to dehydrate homemade chili? ›

Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.

Vacuum sealing comes in handy here. But if you can't do that, a freezer bag with all the air squeezed out works fine. Properly cooked, dehydrated, and preserved meals can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator and even longer in a freezer.

Wearing gloves, slice the thicker peppers in half or you can leave them whole if you prefer, but they will take longer to dehydrate. Place the peppers on the trays of the dehydrator making sure there is plenty of room for air circulation. Dehydrate at 145°F (63°C) for 6-10 hours depending on the size of the peppers.

Chili cooks low and slow, so you need enough liquid to tenderize the meat and keep everything from drying out. That liquid should also add flavor to the chili, so use chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or beer.

A cup of strong, brewed coffee will work wonders for your pot of chili, imparting a deep, roasted flavor that will make the chili taste like it simmered away all day long.

Cook it long enough

Chili recipes need time for flavors to meld and come together, and collagen-rich meat (like chuck roast or ground beef) needs 90 minutes to two hours to fully break down and become tender. If you don't have time for a long simmer, try using a slow cooker or making it the day before.

Most Common Chili Spices. Cumin, Chile Powders, and Paprika are the most common spices in chili followed by garlic, onion, coriander, Mexican oregano, and bay leaves. These ingredients can be combined to create a savory and well-balanced pot of top notch comfort food.

The main concern, when drying and storing, is moisture. A few tips will help you fully dry your harvest—and keep it that way: Let it cool. Always allow food dried in a dehydrator to cool completely; warm food might be dry but still sweat moisture.

Place the peppers on the trays of the dehydrator making sure there is plenty of room for air circulation. Dehydrate at 145°F for 6-10 hours depending on the size of the peppers. Store in a cool dry place in an airtight container.

Do you need to rehydrate dried chili? ›

In general, large smooth chillies are much less hot than small wrinkly ones. Both are used dried and fresh. When dried, chillies are normally rehydrated before adding to a recipe. They may be deseeded too, to make them less hot.

All chilies, Habaneros, chili peppers and paprika are suitable for drying in a drying appliance. Thin-fleshed chili varieties are best for chili powder. Perfect is de cayenne chili, famous as cayenne pepper. Anaheim, New Mexico, Pimiento Choricero, Pickles and NuMex varieties are ideal for sweet chili powder.

You can dehydrate peppers whole or cut into slices depending on your personal preference. Whole peppers will take longer than sliced peppers to dehydrate. I prefer to leave them whole so I can toast them in my recipes.

Dehydrating Canned Foods for Backpacking Meals

Instead, I'm asking you to consider the possibilities lingering in that aisle if you remove the water and heavy aluminum can. I've dehydrated cans of store-bought chili, pulled pork, and other goodies to add to meals for the backcountry.

Here is a tip about dehydrating hot peppers, one I learned the hard way. Don't dehydrate them indoors. I did that with last summer's crop and ended up macing my husband and I out of our own home. Dehydrating hot peppers indoors fills the air with a stinging aroma that will literally bring you to tears.